This invention relates to a refrigerating apparatus, and, more particularly, to a freezer/refrigerator (herein termed merely refrigerator) including a refrigerator compartment and a removable food module adapted for being received therein.
Conventional meal planning and preparation, as well as food budgeting, is difficult for many people. For example, such problems are posed for the retired, shut-ins, the handicapped, those with specific dietary regimens or needs, as well as others such as persons in various occupations, businesses and professions who have relatively little available time in which to carry out customary shopping, organization of foods, budgeting, planning, and the assembly of food dishes from the items so obtained.
Such persons are benefitted by the pre-planned meals of the commercial nature which are now available in the frozen food departments of present day grocery stores. In fact, many such persons have come to depend, or have been forced to rely upon, the commercial availability of such frozen products, including whole meals, sometimes having various preselected food items.
On the other hand, the commercial sale of frozen foods does not obviate all of the problems for such a person since it is still required to visit a food store, select the various items, carry out meal planning, budgeting and, in general, to determine the suitability of the various frozen items to be purchased based upon the price, content and selection available. Many such persons find even these tasks difficult if not impossible.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerating system, including a refrigerator, such as of the type utilizable for home frozen food storage, including a module for same, for modularized storage of foods in a fresh condition for a period of days.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a system wherein the food may be maintained in trays in a freshly frozen state within the module, being organized in tray compartments according to each of a multiplicity of consecutive days in the period, whereby the trays may be withdrawn by the user on subsequent days without prior planning, selection, budgeting or other effort on the part of the user.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide such a system wherein the entire module may be installed into the refrigerator to permit trays to be withdrawn readily from the module after it is installed, and to permit the module subsequently to be withdrawn and replaced by another module having a fresh load of food trays.
Another object of the invention is the provision of such a refrigerator having storage not only for the module within a freezer compartment thereof, but also providing refrigerated storage for other items in addition to the module.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide a new concept of family living wherein meal planning and food budgeting for the retired, shut-ins, and others having little available time or capability for normal planning, budgeting and food selection, are provided by modularized storage of food, and specifically frozen storage thereof according to trays configured and stored for withdrawal on each of a multiplicity of consecutive days within a period, and wherein each of the tray compartments is configured for holding multiple trays for each such days, the trays having preselected food items for providing a complete meal.
Among further objects of the invention may be noted the provision of such a module, or so-called capsule, which is lightweight, easy to handle, portable, is made of lightweight materials for durability, strength, ease of handling and long and reliable usage.
Briefly, the invention contemplates a refrigerator having a front door and at least one refrigerated module compartment, which may be located within a freezer portion of the refrigerator, which compartment is accessible when the front door is open, coupled with a removable food module in the form of a capsule adapted for being received within such compartment. The module includes a plurality of tray compartments corresponding to each of consecutive days in a period, such as a week, and with each compartment being marked with indicia for designating the days in a period corresponding to the respective tray compartments. Each such tray compartment is configured for holding at least one such tray having food for preparation on the day designated for such tray compartment. Accordingly, the module may be removed at the end of the period and replaced with a like module having a fresh supply of food for a subsequent period of days.
Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed hereinbelow.